The Shacolas Tower, divided Nicosia seen from above

Some cities make more sense from above, and Nicosia is one, because at street level the Green Line is a run of dead-end lanes, while from the 11th floor it’s a whole city cut in two. Here’s what’s in the Shacolas Tower and when to go up, based on what the municipality publishes.

What it is

The municipality presents it as a modern museum with an unobstructed view over the whole city, on the 11th floor of the Shacolas Tower. The display, prepared with the Leventis Museum and the Woolworth Group, pairs old photos and captions with an audio history of the city in several languages and a set of telescopes. The Nicosia Tourism Board lists it among the old-town places worth seeing for the panorama.

Don’t expect a major museum. The value lies in the view and in having it explained.

What you see

To the north, the half of the city outside the government’s control, with the twin minarets of the former St Sophia Cathedral, now the Selimiye Mosque, which you can pick out in the photo. Behind it, the Kyrenia range. All around, the rooftops of the southern old town and the new city spreading beyond the walls. With the telescopes you can hunt for domes and bell towers you’ll later see from below, such as Faneromeni Church, two minutes from the tower.

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Opening hours

It opens daily, on hours that change through the year. From January to March and in November and December, 10:00 to 17:00; in April and October, until 18:00; and from May to September, until 19:00. We haven’t found the price in an official source we can cite, so I don’t give one.

Another view, no lift needed

If you like looking down on Nicosia, there’s a second spot I find prettier even though it’s lower. The Centre of Visual Arts and Research (CVAR), on Ermou Street, has a roof garden with a café from which, says the municipality, you look over the tiled roofs, historic palm trees and the churches, mosques and monuments of the old town, with the Pentadaktylos as a backdrop. It’s a closer, less sweeping view than the tower’s, and around it are the Severis collections of paintings, old costumes and Cypriot memorabilia. I’d do both, the tower to grasp the division and CVAR to enjoy the rooftops.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Shacolas observatory on GetYourGuide.

Fitting it in

The tower is on Ledra Street, so I’d go up just before crossing into North Nicosia, with the layout fresh in my mind. If you can choose, go late in the afternoon, with low light on the mountains. And for the full story of what you’re looking at, the Leventis Museum in Nicosia is five minutes away and free. Other panoramas on the island, from the mountains to the coast, are in viewpoints in Cyprus.

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If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Nicosia for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.